Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

Spring for racing is one of the most exciting times of the year. The star gallopers have returned to the fold, aiming for the elite races in Sydney and Melbourne, while onlookers get the first look at a new crop of 2-year-olds.

The first 2-year-old trials in Sydney will be held on Monday, September 18 at Randwick-Kensington. It is very well possible the next G1 Golden Slipper or G1 Blue Diamond, R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic or R. Listed Inglis Millennium winners could be among them.

The first juvenile stakes race in Australia is the G3 Gimcrack S. for the fillies, and the G3 Breeders’ Plate for the colts and geldings will be held at Randwick on September 30.

Archibald told The Thoroughbred Report AusNZ, “These nine 2-year-olds will jump-out on Friday. Pending they come through the jump-out in good order, the plan is to push towards the Randwick trials on September 18.

“The trials will decide if any of them are ready to be lining up in a Breeders’ Plate or a Gimcrack Stakes.”

I Am Invincible x Modern Wonder (Snitzel) (colt)

An unnamed colt by the reigning Champion Sire I Am Invincible has been giving all the right indications to the stable that he could be an early runner.

The unnamed colt was a $700,000 purchase by TFI, Annabel Neasham Racing and Dermot Farrington Bloodstock when offered by Kia Ora Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

The colt is the third foal from the Snitzel mare Modern Wonder. She won the Listed Dequetteville S. and placed in the G3 Thoroughbred Club S. as a 2-year-old and trained on to place in the G3 Typhoon Tracy S.

Modern Wonder is the daughter of the juvenile winner and Listed-placed Elusive Wonder (Elusive Quality {USA}). Making Modern Wonder a full sister to the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in Australia in 2019/20 - Away Game.

During a remarkable career Away Game claimed the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic, the G2 Percy Sykes S. and the G3 Widden S. and placed in the G1 Golden Slipper.

As an older horse, Away Game placed in the G1 Oakleigh Plate and the G1 Robert Sangster S. highlighting her remarkable constitution.

Furthermore, the colt is related to G3 Blue Diamond Preview (Fillies) placegetter Written Swoosh (Written Tycoon).

Modern Wonder’s first foal was a winner named Wonderwall (Sebring) who won over 1400 metres. Her second foal is the unraced filly Khaznah (Zoustar) who is trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

Bosustow - Blue Point (Ire) x Bumbasina (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) (colt)

This son of Blue Point (Ire) named Bosustow is a half-brother to the super filly Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni {Fr}).

Offered by Segenhoe Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale he was knocked down to the Rosemont Alliance, Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) and Annabel Neasham Racing for $900,000.

Bosustow is the third foal from the Canford Cliffs (Ire) mare Bumbasina (Ire). She won twice and was placed in the Listed Ruby S. and the Listed Navigation S. in Ireland.

Bumbasina is the dam of the aforementioned Amelia’s Jewel, a victress of seven races including the G1 Northerly S.

Bumbasina is a half-sister to G2 Lanwades Stud S. winner Epona Plays (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Group 3- winning Dolce Strega (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}).

Furthermore, this is the family of Flashy Wings (GB) (Zafonic {USA}), she was crowned the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in Great Britain in 2005.

Justify (USA) x Champagne Cuddles (Not A Single Doubt) (colt)

The unnamed colt is a son of Justify (USA) who is the sire of the Neasham stable’s star juvenile of last season - Learning To Fly.

Justify was crowned the Champion First Season Sire in Australia for the 2022/23 season.

The colt was offered by Coolmore Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where he caught the eye of Kia Ora Stud, TFI and Annabel Neasham Racing who paid $700,000 to secure him.

He is the first foal from the bonny Not A Single Doubt mare Champagne Cuddles. She won four races including the G2 Breeders’ Classic and the G3 Gold Coast Guineas, while she placed in the G1 Golden Rose and G1 Flight S. and the G1 Stradbroke H.

Champagne Cuddles is well-related herself as a daughter of the Group 1 winner Sky Cuddle (Snippets).

The Bjorn Baker-trained mare was offered at the 2020 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale at the conclusion of her career where Tom Magnier paid $2 million for her.

Needing Attention - Zousain x Seeking Attention (Exceed And Excel) (filly)

The 2-year-old filly named Needing Attention is from the first crop of Widden Stud’s exciting sire Zousain, a son of Zoustar.

The filly is the 10th foal of the Exceed And Excel mare Seeking Attention. She won five races and was placed at Group 3 level.

Seeking Attention is a half-sister to Stryker who won the G3 BTC Classic and placed in the G1 Golden Rose.

Furthermore, this is the family of Buckinghampshire (Lonhro) who won the Listed Summer Juvenile S. at Kenilworth.

Needing Attention is a homebred by Mr JS Mackay and was not offered for sale.

Justify (USA) x Paulownia (Fastnet Rock) (filly)

This unnamed daughter of Justify (USA) was purchased by Champion Thoroughbreds and Annabel Neasham Racing for NZ$300,000 from the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Yearling Sale.

The filly is the second foal from the Fastnet Rock mare Paulownia. She won over 1200 metres and was placed in the G2 Wellington Guineas.

The filly’s dam is a full sister to the G1 William Reid S. hero Foxwedge and the Listed winner She’s A Fox (Fastnet Rock).

Paulownia descends from the family of the G1 Australian Guineas fourth placegetter Bank Maur (Maurice {Jpn}) who also claimed the G2 Alister Clark S.

Tudaya - Trapeze Artist x Moss Trip (Mossman) (colt)

Tudaya, a colt by Trapeze Artist, is the first foal from the Mossman mare Moss Trip and is another that is showing signs he could be a early runner to the stable.

Moss Trip won five races including G3 James HB Carr S. and placed in the G2 Hot Danish S.

Furthermore, this family of Kermadec (NZ) who won the G1 Doncaster H. and the G1 George Main S.

Tudaya was offered by Kia Ora Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and purchased for $350,000 by Kacy Fogden Racing.

Dubious x Thisisus (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}) (colt)

This unnamed colt is from the first crop of the Kitchwin Hills Stud-based Dubious, he was a $500,000 purchase by Justin Fung, Aquis Stallions and Annabel Neasham Racing from the draft of Noralla Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

The colt is the sixth foal from the High Chaparral (Ire) mare Thisisus (NZ). She is a half-sister to Smitten Kitten (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) a victress of eight races including the Listed Breeders’ S.

Furthermore, this is the family of Katana (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) who was crowned the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in New Zealand in 2002/03 winning the G2 Breeders’ S. and placed in the G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce S.

Stallone - Extreme Choice x Good Looking Mare (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) (colt)

Stallone, a son of Newgate Farm's Extreme Choice was a $300,000 purchase by Darby Racing and de Burgh Equine from the draft of Bell River Thoroughbreds at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Stallone is the third foal from an unraced daughter of Medaglia D’Oro (USA) - Good Looking Mare.

She is a daughter of Sherine (USA) (Precise End {USA}) who claimed the G2 Comely S. at Aqueduct.

Stallone hails from the prominent North American family of Bodemeister (USA) a talented galloper who won the G1 Arkansas Derby and placed in the G1 Kentucky Derby and Preakness S.

Furthermore, this is the family of the G1 La Troienne S. heroine She’s A Julie (USA) (Elusive Quality {USA}) who also scored the G1 Ogden Phipps S.

Superhero - Deep Field x Mine Two (I Am Invincible) (colt)

Rounding out the nine highlighted gallopers is a 2-year-old colt by Newgate Farm’s pensioned Deep Field, Superhero.

The colt was a $340,000 purchase by Yes Bloodstock and Group 1 Bloodstock (FBAA) from the draft of Twin Hills Stud at the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Superhero is the fourth foal from the I Am Invincible mare Mine Two. She won as a juvenile and was placed in the G3 Schweppervescence H. and finished fourth in the G2 Reisling S.

Mine Two is a half-sister to Spright (Hinchinbrook). She claimed the G1 Robert Sangster S. and the G3 Star Kingdom H. among his six victories.

Spright was also placed in the G1 Goodwood H. and the G1 Moir S. and finished fourth in the G1 Stradbroke H. and G1 Manikato S.

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Prominent syndicator Laurence Eales admits Benedetta (Hellbent) is as exciting as any horse he’s owned. That’s some high praise considering he has enjoyed feature race success with horses including the dual Group 1 winner Whobegotyou (Street Cry {Ire}), the G1 Melbourne Cup hero Shocking, the two-time Group 3 winner Bondeiger (War Pass {USA}) and the Group 3 scorer Chivalry.

Eales believes the lightly raced Benedetta has the world at her feet.

“She’s right up there in terms of the most talented and exciting horses I’ve had. Whobegotyou was a brilliant horse. Look at his record, he won or placed in 24 of his 29 starts and most of them were in stakes class,” Eales told The Thoroughbred Report.

“I’ve never had a mare as good as Benedetta, so it’s very exciting.

“She has plenty of ability. She’s only four and she’s only had eight starts. It’s all in front of her.”

The Jason Warren-trained Benedetta chalked up her first stakes win on Saturday, taking out the G3 Cockram S. at Caulfield.

Eales and his fellow owners are understandably eyeing success at the highest level.

“If we can get a Group 1 win that would be fantastic,” he said.

“At the moment we are pretty keen to keep her at 1200 metres or thereabouts, but we may look at stretching her out in distance, over time. We would probably like to see her mature a bit more before we stretch her out in the autumn.

“There’s a few options for her; there’s the Manikato Stakes and the Champions Sprint. We’re just weighing up those options for her for this season.”

Eales admits he was impressed by the then-filly, who was offered at the 2021 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale by Mill Park Stud as Lot 437, but knew she would take time. He was prepared to be patient with her and when the bidding ended at $75,000 he was rapt with his purchase.

“She was a bit underdone at the sale when I inspected her and late maturing, hence I was able to get her for the price I did. It was a good price,” Eales explained.

“I liked her pedigree and her type. She was well-balanced and I knew there was plenty of improvement in her. I wasn’t necessarily looking for a Hellbent, although he had a few nice ones getting around. I like Red Ransom on the dam side when I’m buying horses and she has that.

“I wasn’t expecting her to be a 2-year-old; I bought her and put her out in the paddock for a couple of months. It wasn’t until we broke her in and sent her into Jason’s for her first prep… when she came out after her first prep, I went up and had a look at her in the paddock at Widden Stud in Victoria and I just couldn’t believe how much she had furnished and developed. It was amazing.”

Where it started

Benedetta is from the winning Domesday mare Whatalovelyday and she comes from the family of the Group 1 winners Leica Guv (NZ) (Deputy Governor {USA}), Light Fantastic (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and Pharoah (NZ) (Gold Centre).

Whatalovelyday was purchased for $150,000 by Hancock Quality Bloodstock (FBBA) (acting for Brenton and Liz Parker) at the 2017 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale (Book 1). The mare was offered by Willow Park Stud, in foal to Starspangledbanner.

The resultant foal from that mating was named Quick Call and she died without getting to the races. The Parkers then opted to send Whatalovelyday to the Yarraman Park resident Hellbent.

“It was just a good match,” Brenton Parker told TTR AusNZ.

“We’ve got half a dozen mares and most years we’ve gone to a first-season stallion with at least one of them. He was the one that year and it’s worked out pretty well.”

Whatalovelyday has since thrown a Foxwedge filly named Whatafox and after Blueblood Thoroughbreds/Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $30,000 for her from the Mill Park Stud draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, she placed at Group 2 level and won an Echuca maiden.

Following Benedetta, Whatalovelyday produced an Impending filly. She fetched $150,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. The filly was bought by McEvoy Mitchell Racing/Belmont Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) from the Mill Park Stud consignment. The 3-year-old filly has been named Sunset Dreaming.

Next was a Rubick colt and he made $130,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Again, offered by Mill Park Stud, the colt was knocked down to trainer Henry Dwyer.

Whatalovelyday also has a King’s Legacy yearling colt on the ground and he has been earmarked for the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

The mare missed last season, before being served by Hellbent on Tuesday.

“She had six in a row and then missed last season. She was covered (on Tuesday) by Hellbent, so hopefully that goes positively. We thought we would go back to him and see if we can replicate it,” Parker explained.

The Parkers retained a share in Benedetta and, like Eales, they too are excited about her future.

“Hopefully she can win a Group 1. I’ve bred a Group 1 winner - Happy Trails - but I’ve never bred and part-owned a Group 1 winner before. If she can do the job, that would be great,” said Parker.

“She looks like being the real deal. She’s got some fighting qualities, which is good.”

Cover image courtesy of Barbara Livingston

Mockridge on Hasili

Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge, general manager UK, is accustomed to working with top-class pedigrees, and he has meticulously nurtured some of the operation's most famous families. “Whilst you could never describe Hasili as an oil painting, she was always well-balanced and constructed as a broodmare and she had scope. She was tough enough to win a Listed race at two and be competitive at that level as a 3-year-old. Once retired to stud she proved to be the perfect match for Danehill,” he told The Thoroughbred Report.

“Despite being a granddaughter of a Cheveley Park winner, her fourth dam was needed to fill her pedigree page in the Juddmonte Stud Book when she first retired to stud. By the time her breeding career was over she filled the page herself.”

Building the Juddmonte empire

Hasili’s family has been in the Juddmonte fold from the early days. The late Prince Khalid Abdullah quickly worked out that success as an owner is much more satisfying if one is racing homebreds, so he set about building up his stud from the very early 80s. Part of the process of laying the foundations of Juddmonte involved buying a few mares from Robert Sangster’s Swettenham Stud. The most crucial purchase from Swettenham Stud turned out to be Hasili’s grandam Sookera (USA) (Roberto {USA}) who had carried Sangster’s colours to victory in the 1977 G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket.

The best horse whom the Prince bred from Sookera was the Group 1-winning sprinter So Factual (USA) (Known Fact {USA}) but the most important was the first: Kerali (GB) (Highline {GB}).

Trained by Jeremy Tree, Kerali won a seven-furlong maiden race at Kempton as a 3-year-old in 1987 before joining the Juddmonte broodmare band. In a lengthy breeding career, Kerali became a notable producer of broodmares. One of her daughters (Hasili’s younger full sister Arrive {GB}) bred the 2008 G1 Pretty Polly S. winner Promising Lead (GB) (Danehill {USA}) and another (Skiable {Ire} {Niniski {USA}}) bred the wide-margin 2003 G3 Coventry S. winner Three Valleys (USA) (Diesis {GB}). However, Kerali’s most important daughter was Hasili, the result of her visit to the 1988 Derby and Irish Derby hero Kahyasi (Ire) in his second season at stud in 1990.

Hasili the racehorse

As Mockridge detailed, Hasili initially proved herself a good filly when trained in France by Henri-Alex Pantall. She was a tough one too, running 17 times in her two seasons in training. She won a Listed race in the provinces, the Prix des Sablonnets at Nantes, in the autumn of her 2-year-old year; and then put up her best performance the following spring when chasing home Machiavellian’s (USA) Group 1-winning full sister Coup De Genie (USA) (Mr Prospector {USA}) in the Prix Imprudence at Maisons-Laffitte.

It was once she had retired to the paddocks, though, that she really came into her own, largely as a result of repeat matings with Danehill (USA) (who, of course, was bred and raced by Prince Khalid Abdullah before being recruited by Coolmore).

Hasili and Danehill, the perfect match

It was still relatively early days for Danehill’s stud career when Hasili visited him as a 4-year-old in her first year at stud, 1995. He was already highly regarded in Australia where he had come up with the 1994 Golden Slipper winner Danzero in his first crop (and would then be represented by the next two winners of the race, Flying Spur and Merlene). Acceptance in Europe took a bit longer, though, although he was represented by two top-level winners in the Northern Hemisphere in 1994 when the 3-year-old fillies Kissing Cousin (Ire) and Danish (Ire) won the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot and the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. at Keeneland respectively. Even after these two big wins, though, Danehill was still standing for only 15,000 Irish guineas when he covered Hasili in 1995.

The result of this first visit by Hasili to Danehill was Dansili (GB). He was a top-class racehorse and an extremely tough and honest one too, putting up a string of excellent runs in Europe (including chasing home Sendawar {Ire} in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Giant’s Causeway {USA} in the G1 Sussex S.) before ending his career when third in a three-way photo-finish for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs in November 2000. It was unfortunate that Dansili hadn’t been able to win at the highest level because one felt that he deserved to have done so. Happily, no fewer than five of Hasili’s subsequent foals each made up for this omission.

It didn’t take long for any disappointment felt by Dansili’s connections after his narrow defeat in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Mile to be put to bed. The following year his full sister Banks Hill (GB) won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. No photo-finish was required as the margin was 5.5l. This was her second top-level triumph (she had already won the Coronation S. at Royal Ascot) and she would take her tally to three the next year, landing the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, winning by 1.5l from Domedriver (Ire), who went on to take that year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile in the autumn.

The year after producing Banks Hill, Hasili gave birth to a filly by a different son of Danzig (USA), Green Desert (USA). This filly, Heat Haze (GB), also scored at the top level, taking two Grade 1 races in the USA in 2003: the Beverly D S. at Arlington and the Matriarch S. at Hollywood Park in which she beat that year’s G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Musical Chimes (USA) (In Excess I {Ire}) by a neck.

Dansili and Banks Hill had done all their racing for André Fabre but Heat Haze, having started in that stable, had joined Bobby Frankel’s barn in the USA before her big American wins. A similar path was trodden by Hasili’s next three Group 1 winners, all by Danehill: 2005 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf heroine Intercontinental (GB), Cacique (Ire) who landed two Grade 1 races on the turf at Belmont Park in 2006, and Champs Elysees (GB), a wonderfully tough and honest horse. Champs Elysees got better as he matured, winning two Grade 1 races as a 5-year-old in 2008 and finally signing off in style at six in October 2009 with a typically game victory in the G1 Canadian International at Woodbine on his 28th and final start.

Hasili’s tally of individual Graded stakes winners was finally taken to seven when Deluxe (USA) (Storm Cat {USA}) won the G3 Cardinal H. at Churchill Downs in November 2011, having switched from André Fabre to Bill Mott at the end of the previous year.

Hasili’s daughters have proved to be reliable producers of stakes horses with Banks Hills’ Galileo (Ire) filly Romantica (GB) proving the best of them with her victory in 2013 in the G1 Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville and her close second to the Dansili filly Dank (GB) in that year’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Another notable grandchild has been Heat Haze’s Frankel (GB) colt Mirage Dancer (GB), a Group 3 winner in England in 2018 prior to his sale to Australia, where he won the G1 Metropolitan H. in 2020. It is Hasili’s sons, though, who have made most of the bloodstock headlines.

Hasili's sons grab the headlines

Dansili was a fabulous stallion with an outstanding 12 per cent lifetime stakes winners to runners percentage. His 23 individual Group/Grade 1 winners have included 2006 Grand Prix de Paris and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Rail Link (GB) whose exploits ensured that his father was France’s Champion Sire that season; Harbinger (GB), whose 11l triumph in the 2010 G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot meant that he was officially ranked as the highest-rated horse in the world that year; 2014 1000 Guineas victrix Miss France (Ire); Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winners Dank and Queen’s Trust (GB); 2012 Coronation S. winner Fallen For You (GB) and 2013 Irish Champion S. heroine The Fugue (GB); and Juddmonte’s super-tough Flintshire (GB), a winner at the top level in Europe, America and Hong Kong.

Obviously, having sired so many top-class colts, Dansili has had a lot of sons retire to stud. Eight of them have sired at least one Group 1 winner, including Zoffany (Ire) and current Banstead stalwart Bated Breath (GB).

It spoke volumes for the widespread respect accorded to Dansili that Juddmonte was happy to stand his two full brothers alongside him at Banstead Manor Stud. In 2015, Dansili was there at a fee of £100,000 (AU$196,300) (a figure which reflects the extent of his success as he had started out in 2001 at only £8000 {AU$15,700}); Cacique at a fee of £12,500 (AU$24,500); and Champs Elysees at a fee of £10,000 (AU$19,600).

Cacique would have made a far bigger impression and commanded a much higher fee than he did had he not been plagued by poor fertility throughout his career, but even with very small crops he still came up with the likes of 2015 G1 Manhattan S. winner Slumber (GB) and the super-tough gelding Dominant (Ire) whose many excellent performances in Hong Kong were headed by his defeat of The Fugue (GB) (Dansili {GB}), Dunaden (Fr) and Red Cadeaux (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) in the G1 HK Vase in 2013.

Champs Elysees put together an excellent stud career, siring many horses who shared the qualities which he himself had displayed. Having been a slow developer who matured into a splendid racehorse, he sired plenty of good horses who were not precocious but who ended up as high-class winners, including 2015 G1 Ascot Gold Cup winner Trip To Paris (Ire), 2020 G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Way To Paris (GB) and Harlem (GB), winner of the G1 Australian Cup at Flemington in both 2018 and ‘19. His most notably fast and precocious son or daughter has been Billesdon Brook (GB), winner of the G1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in 2018.

Hasili’s record as the dam of stallions has been further bolstered by Raise The Flag (GB), her son of Sadler’s Wells (USA) who failed to add to her collective progeny racing record (he was unplaced in his only race, at Longchamp in 2008) but who was given a place at stud because of the strength of his pedigree. White Robe Lodge Stud in New Zealand had previously struck gold with the imported regally bred non-performers Mellay (GB) and Noble Bijou (USA), using a formula which came up trumps again for the Anderton family when they recruited Raise The Flag. He too is now a Group 1-producing sire thanks to the victory of his daughter Etta James (NZ) in the G1 2020 Sydney Cup.

The last word on Hasili, truly one of the great broodmares of this or any other era, should go to Juddmonte UK General Manager Simon Mockridge.

“Her significance to Juddmonte and to the breeding industry as a whole is immense. As a mare she was irreplaceable, but the staff all get to pay homage to her every day as her statue is positioned on the walk from the car park to the office, next to the foaling boxes, where so many of her descendants have been born.”